


A soul in the dark

by 50Lizardsinatrenchcoat



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - No Sburb Session, Angst, Derse and Prospit, Dubious Morality, Everything is Beautiful and Everything Hurts, Evil!Bro Strider, Evil!Gamzee, Experimentation, F/M, King!Bro Strider, Magic, Multi, People were brought together via plot, Revolution, Royal! Beta kids, So we get, Souls, Subplots, The Author Regrets Nothing, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, This story wrote itself, Unrequited Crush, more plot than i intended, rarepairs, this is not a nice story
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:36:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 13
Words: 9,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50Lizardsinatrenchcoat/pseuds/50Lizardsinatrenchcoat
Summary: Karkat is on the run because he a magician. Narrowly avoiding death, Nepeta and her friends heal him and inadvertently start a revolution centuries in the making.UPDATE: This work will no longer be receiving updates because my old writing style and plot points are painfully cliche and rushed. It'll probably get rewritten one of these days, but I dont know when. Sorry.





	1. Running From the End

**Author's Note:**

> I am so glad to have finally posted this! I will attempt to update weekly!

Be Karkat==>

You are now Karkat Vantas, and you are running for your life through the woods. Why? Because you’re a magician, and those aren’t welcome, well,  anywhere.

You pull your cape tighter around your gaunt frame so it wouldn’t get caught on any brambles. You don’t particularly feel like dying today. Or at all, for that matter.

“Invisibilia, abscondam,” you hissed under your breath. You watch your body turn invisible with each long stride.

You turn off the main path into the winding labyrinth of side roads as the spell slowly wore off.

After a while, you stop to get your bearings. Unfortunately, you don’t recognize any of the landmarks in the area. You must’ve run further than you thought.

You hear a twig snap behind you. Whirling around, you come face-to-face with your pursuers. Oh crud. They must’ve taken a shortcut.

“Found you, magician scum,” Eridan Ampora hisses. Next to him is Terezi. You glower at her. She used to be a friend, but once you told her of your ability, she turned on you in an instant. 

You curse your own stupidity of not reiterating the spell and staying hidden.

You start walking backwards before turning to flee, only to be met with Vriska smiling menacingly.

“G’night sucker,” she says before you are met with a jarring blow to the back of your skull.

The world tilts and pitches before you fall away to unconsciousness.

~~~~~~

You blearily blink open your eyes to only be met with more black. You’ve been blindfolded. You sit up (read: attempted to) but then realize the hunters hadn’t been messing around this time. All of your limbs were bound together after your last escape. Peachy. You were able to tell where you were despite all this. You were in the back of a horse-drawn carriage, most likely heading towards the Prospit capital to be turned in for the bounty on Magicians. You have nothing to do but wait for an opportunity.

After roughly ten minutes of listening to the hunter’s conversation and gleaning no useful information, you feel a thump as something lands on the roof of the carriage. 

“What was that?” Eridan asks in surprise. You weren’t too sure what happened next as an unidentified voice let out a battle cry and the hunters let out threats and strings of curses.

You can tell something entered the back of the horse-drawn carriage because of the thumps on the floor. You felt yourself being lifted and slung over the stranger’s shoulder.

“Don’t resist and hold on tight,” he says, taking a leap out of the back of the van. He hits the ground running. The hunters were left in the dust. Midway through your getaway, he puts you down and actually gets to the untying you part. As your blindfold falls away into his hand, you get a good look at his face.

A troll boy with wild, unruly hair and clown makeup smiles back at you.

You feel the color drain from your face in realization of who it was. Gamzee Makara, mass murderer. The kind of person who gives magicians a bad name.  Out of the frying pan and into the fire, as they say.

“Fugiendum festina,” You say as fast as you can, but he is ready with a counter.

“Inpotem,” he says with a sinister smile. All your muscles lock up, rendering you motionless. As a more powerful Magician, his spell overrode yours. He hums, “Wow, couldn’t even resist. Sad. I was hoping for a challenge.”

Your heart beats wildly in your chest. You look all around for a new angle, finding nothing.

He turns and walks away. Your legs move, but not with your consent. They follow him like a loyal puppy and you can do nothing to stop it.

He leads you all over, occasionally doubling back or turning erratically to lose any possible pursuit, or you somehow breaking his hold and retracing your steps.

After hours of walking further and further into the forest, you came across a small shack

Inside, there were shackles attached to the wall, an assortment of trash, and what you were hoping was rainbow juice covering the ground. (Spoiler: It wasn’t)

“Praeligo,” he says without a thought. A chain from the wall snakes across the floor and grabbed your left wrist. It retracts to be tight enough you can only just touch the ground when sitting. The annoying part was how loose it was. If your hand had been just a bit smaller, it could slip through.

Gamzee was halfway out the door before turning. “Sleep well,” he says with an unsettling smile.


	2. And So It Begins

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to update more often because I can't help myself, so here it is! *Throws chapter and runs*

Karkat: Be Gamzee ==>

    You try to be be Gamzee, but you fail. Someone else is vying for your attention. Be them instead.

Karkat: Be Nepeta ==>

    You are now Nepeta, and your day has been the best! You and Feferi had a girls day out and you went sight-seeing all over the Derse capital! It was so much fun!

    You and her decided that sometime soon you would do the same thing but, on Prospit!

    While you were thinking about plans for the vacation, someone sharply raps on the door. You leap up to answer, and to your delight, it’s one your friends, Aradia!

    “Hi Aradia! I am so glad you came over, beclaws I was thinking of-” you trail off when you get a better look at what she’s wearing and more importantly, the rust-colored splatters all over it.

    “Nepeta, please help me,” she says weakly. You scoop her arm over your shoulder and lead her to your couch. You check over her wounds in concern, thankfully discovering none of them are lethal.

    “Aradia, what happened to hurt you so bad?” You ask, worry shining in your eyes. Aradia doesn’t meet your gaze.

    “Promise you won’t turn on me too? I’ve cut too many ties and I can’t bear to ditch this one.” She sounds resigned, like she had accepted a terrible fate. You nod. You have a sneaking suspicion of what was going on, but you don’t want to jump to conclusions. Aradia takes a deep breath before whispering,

    “lumen de futuro.” A ball of crimson light hovers in front of her, just like that of a dying star. Your suspicions are confirmed. Aradia’s a magician.

    You don’t think words were well suited to what was happening, so you give her a hug instead. Aradia tenses at your touch before realizing it was of acceptance.

    “I will neffur let such a thing come between friends,” you say firmly. “Now, who did this, ‘claws I will beat the living daylights out of them.” She winces at the thought of what happened.

    “I don’t want you to get in trouble on my behalf,” she says. You raise an eyebrow. “I’ll tell you who did it, but please don’t go and fight them.”

    You nod.

    “Caroli Strumn. He’s the person,”  Aradia says. “Nepeta, please don’t confront him.” You bite your lip. You said you wouldn’t fight them, but you never promised you wouldn’t talk… Sighing, you hung your head.

    “Fine,” you groan. “I won’t.” You spend the next few minutes finishing playing medic, and then watching a movie together. You totally weren’t thinking up revenge plans on Caroli. Yup. Totally.

Nepeta: Be Karkat ==>

    You are now Karkat, and you are constantly on your guard. You don’t know what Gamzee is planning on doing to you, and the uncertainty is terrifying. Last you heard, his body count had hit fifty, and you don’t want to add to that number.

    Gamzee hasn’t returned since he had locked you up two days ago. You can feel the effects of dehydration. The headache is near constant, and if you try to stand, the world rocks beneath your feet. If the cuff binding your wrist was normal, you would’ve escape with minutes of being locked up and dehydration wouldn’t be an issue. But it isn’t normal. Instead it inhibits your magical abilities to render escape impossible.

    At least, in theory. The magically-infused metal might as well be impervious, so the weak point in this is your arm. After some thought, you decide you were getting out tonight, no matter the cost.

    You grab an empty sopor bottle from the ground. Taking a deep, calming breath, you brought it down on your hand. Ignoring the fiery pain and the flowing blood, you did it again. And again. And again.

    Your hand is a mutilated, bloody mess, but it works. It slips through the cuff, and even then only just. You are free.

Karkat: Escape right now ==>

    You walk over to the door and open it. It feels very anticlimactic.

    Once outside, you reiterate the invisibility spell that you use previously and take off, careful to avoid smashing the undergrowth and leaving a trail.

    You were captured by Gamzee and you lived to tell the tale.


	3. A Rescued Soul

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat isn't out of the woods yet. A group of strangers may be just what he needs.

Karkat: Be Sollux ==>

    You are now Sollux Captor, and Aradia just told you she was a magician. She said she already told Nepeta and she wanted to know who she could trust.

    “AA, you came to the right place,” you say with a smile. “Immortuos musica.”

Sollux: Cue haunting melody ==>

    The music seemed to come from all angles and yet it didn’t at the same time. Aradia smiles as she realizes she has another ally.

    “How many people have you told?” You ask as the song comes to a close.

    “I’ve told Nepeta, obviously. I told Shrefu Oliney and Caroli Strumn. Caroli attacked me and Shrefu cheered him on. I didn’t tell Satrix Solens, she just heard us and came to see what all the noise was about. Then she saw me using magic to defend myself, got scared and ran.” You frowned. That was a lot of negative exposure for such a new magician. Satrix might not be bad, just ignorant, but it was hard to say.

    Just then, you heard a loud bang outside your hive. The tell-tale sound of someone teleporting.

    You and Aradia quickly made your way outside to see an a troll stumbling before collapsing to the the ground. His hand was a mangled mess, and you dreaded thinking about what happened to give him such an injury, until it clicks.

    His blood. It was bright cherry red. The same blood as the signless, from all those sweeps ago, the one who accidentally started a civil war when just trying to get equal right for everyone which eventually led to the murder of prince Jake, and all the stigma against magicians.

    Aradia attempted to lift him up and bring him inside, but ended up needing your help. Neither of you quite knew what to do, what with neither of you being healer magicians, the only kind that was even remotely accepted by society.

    “Nepeta knows Feferi!” Aradia says after a while. “Feferi is a healer and Nepeta can stabilize him in the meantime! Let’s go!” You nod. You don’t know this Feferi character, but Aradia is friends with her, and she’s a magician, so at the very least she can be trusted to look out for her own kind.

    You and Aradia hauled the troll into your horse-drawn carriage and you grabbed the reins.

    “Hyaa!” You shouted, whipping the reins and getting the horses into motion.

    The ride is tense and silent. It isn’t long before you arrive at Nepeta’s hive.

    Aradia knocks against the door. Nepeta opens it within seconds of her knocks.

    “Hey Aradia! Who’s this _oh my god that’s a lot of blood_!” she yelps.

    “Name’s Sollux no time for introductions we have an injured troll in the back,” you say, jerking a thumb towards the horse-drawn carriage.

    She nods and assist you in getting the troll into the hive. Lying him on her couch, she wraps his hand until she deems it good enough so she can leave to get Feferi.

    The troll shows no signs of stirring while Nepeta is gone. Sure enough, he doesn’t.

    Feferi shows no qualms with helping the troll despite what his blood means.

    She settles down beside the couch and begins. It’s probably a good thing he’s unconscious because healing magic is known to be supremely painful.

    She never says a single word while healing him. You gather that Healing magic must be her center, so she doesn’t need to speak to perform the necessary spells.

Sollux: Be Karkat==>

    You are now Karkat, and as you slowly come to, you realize you’re surrounded by strangers and your hand hurts more than it should.

    You try to sit up, but this proves to be futile as one of the strangers gentle pushes you down, saying,

    “No, no. Rest. You need to regain your strength.” The stranger is wearing lots of shiny accessories, she's obviously a high blood.

    “Who are you people?” You manage to croak out, trying (and failing) to be menacing. You hate how pitiful you sound. The one with accessories smiles cheerfully and says,

    “This is Sollux and Aradia,” she gestured to a troll with two sets of horns and one with curly horns. She turns to one with a blue hat. “They found you. Nepeta is the one who tended you until I arrived. I’m Feferi, and I was your healer! What’s your name?” Okay, she’s a magician. The others are either the same, or at least allies.

    “Karkat.” You pause before tacking on, “Why would you bother saving me?”

    Aradia scrunches up her face. “If someone collapsed outside your hive, wouldn’t you help them?” I shake my head.

    “Probably not. It could be another trick by the hunters. And even if I wasn’t a magician, I probably still wouldn’t. If that person was one, I could be killed for being a sympathizer.” They mull over this.

    “You must be from Prospit,” Sollux says after a while. You nod. You admit, you like Prospit. It’s your home. But they have very little tolerance for dark things like magic. Derse isn’t much better, but it’s still an improvement. At least hunters aren’t paid, and therefore have little reason to hunt. Everything else is pretty much about the exact same, though.

    “what exactly happened to your hand?” Aradia asks. You shudder thinking about it, before saying,

    “I was caught by Gamzee Makara. Smashed my hand to escape.” Your later words seem to be lost on them, they seem hung up on the name Gamzee Makara.

    “Sollux, we need you to check his soul for tampering, stat,” Feferi says.

    Sollux lays his hand on your forehead, saying, “Anima revelare.” You feel a tugging sensation in your chest before a glowing orb of red fire comes out, the heat from it warming every inch of your body.

    “What the..?” You trail off. That’s your soul?

    “Videatur exitium.” Sollux remains still for a moment then he lets out a quiet curse under his breath.

    “What? What’s wrong with Karkitty?” Nepeta asks.

    “Something was draining his spirit directly from his soul. He didn’t collapse due to something like blood loss, it was lack of BEING.” He pauses for a few seconds before his eyes widen in shock. “It’s still active!”

    “How the heck is he draining his soul from out here?” Feferi asks. “That should be impossible!”

    “what’s even the point? Most souls aren’t exactly good power sources,” Aradia adds.

    “Apparently his is,” Sollux says. “Sana animam suam.” You don’t feel a great change, but Sollux looks satisfied. “That’ll help for now. It’s not perfect, but you shouldn’t collapse on us anytime soon.”

    “What do you mean, ‘us’?” You ask. You don’t want anyone to be hurt by being near you.

    “I mean you recently collapsed due to lack of being and you would’ve never woken up if we hadn’t intervened. You’re in no condition to travel, let alone use use magic. For the time being, I think you should stay in Nepeta’s care,” Sollux explains.

    You agree, though begrudgingly, and only because the ‘never wake up’ thing was horrifying. You were so close to death, but a group of strangers saved your life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! The main part of the squad has assembled!


	4. Never Forget Anyone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If a name is mentioned, they become relevant.

Other trolls: leave==>

Sollux, Aradia, and Feferi leave, as they have their own duties to attend to. You and Nepeta sit in an awkward silence.

“Want to watch a movie?” Nepeta ask, holding up a case.

“Yes. Yes I do,” you say. The movie she had was of your favorite genre, a rom-com! This will be great!

Karkat: watch movie ==>

This sucks.

“How could anyone think of them as matesprits? All the dialogue felt forced! Ugh! The moirails were even worse!” You yell at the TV. Nepeta giggles at your antics. 

“What about the Kismesissitude?” She asks. You groan.

“They were also very bad! They acted more like moirails than anything. I didn't even know you could screw up that badly! The only thing they did right was the auspisticism!” The two of you talked about the movie for a while, which mostly involved you yelling and Nepeta asking some questions, before deciding to get something to eat.

She leaves and comes back covered in blood. You yelp in surprise and ask if she is okay. She glances down at herself in confusion. She quickly realizes what you were talking about, and says,

“Don’t worry, it’s not mine. Mine’s olive.” She holds up three squirrels by their tails. You then notice the claws she was wearing. Ah. She was hunting.

You nod. “How does squirrel stew sound?” She asks.

“That sounds really good,” you reply. Nepeta walks into her kitchen and preps the stew. It smelled so good! In less time than you expected, a bowl of warm stew was placed on your lap.

Nepeta sat down on the couch next to you, her own bowl in hand.

You eat yours very slowly. Nepeta looks at you curiously.

“What?” You ask.

“You must be starving,” she says. “Why don’t you eat more?”

“I Survive on very little food, so eating more than normal can be deadly. I learned that from experience,” you explain. You had been ill for so long, you thought it was the end. “Not how I want to go.” She nods in understanding, despite looking worried.

It takes you about two hours to finish the bowl, during that time you talk with Nepeta about unimportant things, like whether or not green is the best color. (Grey for the win!)

Most days were like this. After about four of them, a sensitive question came up.

“Do you have any furmily to go back to on Prospit?” Nepeta asks. You tense up. She couldn’t possibly know, but her words strike a nerve.

“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Karkitty,” she says hastily. You nod. You didn’t want to talk about it.

Karkat: Be Gamzee from days ago==>

You lock up the captured magician with a sinister smile, and walk outside but wait just outside the door for him to fall asleep.

It takes more time than you expected. When he finally does, you noiselessly slip back inside to iterate a spell.

“Essentia furantur,” you whisper. The magician’s soul floats out of his body, bathing the room in an otherworldly light.

You raise your hand in its direction and pull back hard. Red energy  flows freely from it into you. The magician lets out a pitiful whimper and writhes in pain. When you stop, the red orb is noticeably dimmer.

The soul rejoins with its host. You feel stronger than you have in a long time. His soul was so much more powerful than most. Its energy alone could keep you alive for months.

Time to make good on your promises.

You walk into the woods a ways. You have all the paths memorized, a feat few can claim.

“Locate caecorum venandi.” If you can find Terezi, the others must be nearby.

Sure enough, you feel a tugging sensation which you loyally follow. You walk for almost two hours before you come across their makeshift encampment.

“Hello my hunters,” you say, announcing your presence to the group. They whip around to face you. Vriska narrows her eyes.

“Hello. Can I assume you’re here to be an absolute jerk and not give us back our little siblings?” She hisses. You let out a low chuckle.

“Now, now, you won’t get Aranea, Cronus, or Latula back until I get enough power,” you say with a smirk.

“You keep changing your terms. That is by no means fair,” Terezi snaps. You ignore her.

“That being said, you've gotten me a really good catch this time, and Ampora, your acting was on point this time, so I think you all deserve something nice,” you say with an unsettling grin.

Eridan looks especially uncomfortable as you give each of them a letter from their siblings.

They read over them, their expressions changing from glee, to sadness, to horror. The letters detail everything that has been happening in the past six months. Every. Last. Detail.

Eridan’s letter crumples as his fists clench with unbridled fury.

“You… I’ll kill you!”  He screams, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. He flings the letter to the ground and seizes his rifle. Vriska grabs one arm and Terezi the other.

“As much as I would like to disassemble Gamzee molecule by molecule, we need him to get our siblings back,” Vriska says. Eridan hangs his head and captchalogues Ahab’s Crosshairs before letting out a shaky sob.

“May I have a word with you, Ampora?” You ask when he regains his composure. 

The two of you walk just outside of camp. You turn to face him.

“So, as you know, I capture magicians, right?” You prompt him. He nods slowly, not knowing what to expect. “Well, a certain sea dweller might have his head on the chopping block for having such a huge secret.” The color drains from his face. He looks as if he’s cornered prey. “Next time, get me two more magicians instead of one, and I'll spare you. On the other hand, if you don’t, I’ll take you instead.” Any semblance of calm has long since left Eridan. He trembles in fear, cowering before you, before turning tail and running back into camp, most likely to hide in his tent for the next hour. You always knew he was weak.


	5. Memories of Days Long Gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karkat remembers some unpleasant events.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings at the bottom.

Past Gamzee: Be current Karkat==>

You had no idea how Nepeta could be so nice to someone she just met. You wouldn’t let stranger get within arm’s length of you, let alone invite them into your hive.

The food she made was amazing, and she would rebandage your hand when she thought necessary. You didn’t really need a bandage now, but you appreciated the gesture.

You had slipped into a comfortable lull in conversation. After awhile, the two of you fall asleep in each other’s arms.

Your dream wasn’t nearly as nice as the waking world. You see snapshots of your past. The worst by far featured your brother.

_ “Kankri, I need to talk to you,” you say, looking to your brother. He glances up from the book he’s reading. _

“What’s up, Karkat?” He asks. You bite your lip. This was the opposite of easy to talk about, and you had no idea how he would react.

“(musica mea),” you whisper.

Karkat: Cue Karkat’s theme 

_ The haunting melody surrounds the two of you. Kankri’s eyes widen in shock. _

“I… did not see that coming,” he finally says after a silent moment. You shift your feet to face the door in case you need to run, which you hope you don’t. The motion isn’t lost on Kankri. “I don’t care if you’re a magician or not, just please stay safe.”  Your shoulders sag with relief. Of course he couldn’t hate you, he was your brother!

“Just, go get some rest, we can discuss this in the morning.” You nod and turn to walk up the stairs to your room when out of the blue, gunshots ring out. Your heart sinks. You were followed home.

“Kankri! Go, run! They're here for me!” You shout over the blasts.

“I’m not letting my little brother face people with guns, magician or not. We can both run,” he says determinedly, leaving no room for arguments. You nod and follow him out the back door just as the front is kicked down.

They aim to hit you. Your brother is having none of it. He shoves you to the side and the bullet pierces his chest. He collapses like a ragdoll.

Candy-red blood is everywhere. You feel like your heart skipped a beat. Or twenty. Your brother is dead. Kankri, the troll who raised you, is dead as a door.

You gasp and shoot up, your heart hammering in your chest. You struggle to calm yourself. You hate that dream so much. You miss your brother so much. Sure, he was a jerk, but he was your jerk and he cared about you in a way no one else did.

Nepeta stirs. “Mm, Karkitty, what’s wrong?” She asks blearily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She hears your panicky  breathing and quickly snaps to attention.

“Karkitty? Did you have a bad cream?” She tilts her head in questioning. 

You try to answer, but your throat is too tight. Everything felt unreal. Your dream was too real and real life, not enough.

“Karkat, try to take deep breaths. In five, out five.” You tried to copy hear breathing, being mildly successful. “Yes, that’s good. In, out.” Your throat loosens just a little bit. 

“You’re in control. Whatever was in that dream can’t hurt you. You’re in control,” she says gently. Your breath hitches but you force yourself to steady your breathing. You’re fine. You take another deep breath before you can trust yourself to speak.

“Thank you Nepeta,” you say. She smiles and gives your hand a squeeze.

“I will always help a furrend in need,” she says, looking you in the eye. You give her an honest smile, a thing not many people can claim to have seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warnings for major character death and depictions of blood.


	6. Secrets Can Never Be Kept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret threatens to destroy someone.

Karkat: Be Eridan==>

You are now Eridan, and your mind is reeling. Gamzee just threatened unspeakable acts if you didn’t get two magicians by the next time he comes by or face the consequences.

Needless to say, you were terrified.

His schedule was erratic at best and nonsense at worst, so who knows how long you actually had.

You hated condemning random strangers, and despite your hatred of most trolls (current company included), you wouldn’t wish Gamzee on any of them.

You didn’t know what happens to the trolls he gets, and you don’t want to find out.

At the moment, you were hiding in your tent, trying to imagine you were anywhere but here. It wasn’t really working. You were so scared, and you hated yourself for it.

You eventually fell into a fitful sleep. 

Eridan: Be future Eridan==>

He’s back.

Gamzee’s back and you didn’t even have one magician, let alone two, though not for a lack of trying. 

“Well, well, well,” Gamzee drawls. “You don't even have one magician, let alone two like I said. And here I was, hoping I would have one to replace the runaway.” He’s looking directly at you.

“Gamzee, I think you knocked a screw loose. We never discussed getting a second magician,” Vriska says. Gamzee chuckles.

“We might not have discussed it, but me and violet soul did,” he says, his gaze intensifying to a glare. Terezi scrunches up her nose.

“Wait… only magicians have colored souls…” She whirls around to face you. “Eridan, He better NOT be saying what I think He’s saying.” Everyone’s eyes are trained on you. You feel the color drain from your face. Gamzee smirks.

“Well, uh, about that… Effugium!” You say quickly. In an instant you’re miles away.

You take a shuddering breath and sit down against a tree. You have no allies. You’re alone in the woods and to top it all off, a magician. 

You push yourself up. Moping will get you nowhere. You have no idea where you are, but it could be worse.

Couldn’t it?

Eridan: Be Karkat==>

You are now Karkat, and Nepeta is dragging you out to the market. She insists that it’ll be fun, but you have your doubts. Markets are crowded with people, and that’s almost never a good thing.

Sure enough, the market was as packed as ever. There are lots of people, trolls and humans alike.

“Isn’t this great Karkitten?” Nepeta asks cheerily. She smiles at you.

“Eh. If your thing is to be around a huge group of people, then it’s great,” you say noncommittally. She shrugs.

She goes to a shop which seems to be selling spices. The troll running the stand asks,

“The usual, Nepeta?”

“Yes, but can I also get mint leaves?” You have no idea how she is so comfortable with someone she has likely never seen outside of right here.

He quickly gets many different seasonings and puts them into small bags, and then into a larger bag.

“Thank you!” Nepeta chirps. She turns and grabs your wrist, dragging you out.

You were going to another shop, but a paper boy shouting the headline quickly grabbed your attention.

“Extra extra! Read all about it! Derse prince dead, all royal children missing!” Nepeta ran up to grab a paper for the two of you to look over.

You couldn’t believe it. Prince Dave was assassinated for being a magician, and John, Rose, and Jade have disappeared. 

“Oh my god…” you say. The murder of a prince! He didn’t even have any ruling power!

“Oh my god is right,” Nepeta echoes. Her voice drops to whisper. “We’re getting out of here. Now.” You nod in agreement.

The two of you quickly make your way to her hive. Not long after arriving, you hear a knock on the door.

Nepeta gets up to answer, but there is an air of caution around her. She inches the door open and peeks out. She sees who is on the other side and opens the door all the way, a smile lighting up her face.

“Equihiss! What’s up?” She asks happily.

“I came to see if my Moirail was alright. They often times leave whoever was caught in the crosshairs out of the papers,” he says. Then he notices me.

“Nepeta, who is this troll, and why is he in your hive?” I shifted uncomfortably. 

“Karkat. Charmed,” you say dryly.

“He was hurt, so some of my friends brought him to me beclaws I have connections, and I have time to make sure that he doesn’t drop dead,” she says bluntly.

“He looks fine now, why is he still here?” Equius presses.

“Not that kind of injury,” Nepeta clarifies. He doesn’t seem to get it. “His soul itself was hurt.” Equius stiffens. He must realize only magicians can pull out a soul to be seen.

“You need to stop hanging out with those types of people.” Wow, another person who doesn’t like magicians. How surprising. “I don’t want you to get hurt because of them.” Okay, you admit that’s a better reason than most have.

“I can take care of myself.” You space out from the conversation between Moirails. It’s rude to listen in. Eventually Equius leaves to do something you didn’t catch.

Yeah. You don't like him.


	7. An Unlikely Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two people meet and join together out of necessity.

Karkat: Be Prince John==>

You are now prince John, and you’ve just run from the castle after an attempted assassination. Someone else tried to get Jade, Rose, and they succeeded in killing Dave.

You’re not sure what you’re supposed to feel here, so you just keep running into the woods.

You don’t know what to expect to find, but a troll boy with an expensive purple cape standing in the middle of the path hyperventilating is definitely not it. Against your better judgment, you ask,

“Excuse me, are you alright?” He whirls to face you, a look of fading terror quickly rekindling when he realizes who you are.

He opens his mouth to speak, but seems at a loss for what to say. It only takes you a moment to realize he’s racking his brain, looking for the correct spell. He was making the same expression Dave did when he tried to do a spell that hand nothing to do with time.

“I’m not going to hurt you if you’re a magician,” you say.  

“Likely story!” he snarls with false bravado. “You're royalty! Magicians are enemies of the crown!” You snort, despite trying to hold back your laughter. 

“I think I can be trusted to look after my own kind.” You smile warmly. 

“What?” He splutters. “You’re  _ royalty _ , they’re supposed to hate magicians, not be them!”

You sigh, knowing he was correct. “You can’t stop someone from becoming a magician, and I’m no different. What’s your name?”

“Eridan Ampora. Why exactly are you in the woods?” You grimace at the memory.

“Running from an assassination attempt. Have you seen the recent news?” He shakes his head no, missing the connection.

“Prince Dave was killed for being a magician, and Jade, Rose, and myself narrowly survived our own would-be murderers,” you say, trying to hide your emotions.  You hate that you couldn’t do anything to save him. 

“What?!” Eridan yelps in alarm. “If someone would so willingly kill royalty, what does that mean for common folk?” You shudder. The implications were horrifying.  

“There’s safety in numbers. Maybe we should stick together?” You suggest. 

“Definitely ” he says earnestly. “And… thanks.”

The two of you make some quick shelter. You would’ve made something better, but the sky was darkening, and you didn’t want to get caught in the storm without even the most rudimentary of shelter.

“Do you have any family, or… y’know,” you ask. 

“I have a younger brother,” he says. He tells you the story of Gamzee kidnapping Cronus, Latula, and Aranea and holding them as blackmail. Occasionally he stumbles over something, like he was omitting details. You decide not to press.

“Oh my. I… I’m going to help you rescue them!” You say with determination. Eridan blinks in shock.

“Why do you want to help someone you barely know?”

“No one deserves to lose someone close. I know how it feels, and I want to help.” He smiles with gratitude at your declaration.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a lot wrong with this story. I started writing it before I finished reading Homestuck, but I'm more enamored with the plot than my portrayal of the characters. Writing this story is so much fun, but the chapters are really short. Just bear with me, things are about to get good.


	8. A Low Blow

John: Be Nepeta==>

You are now Nepeta, and you’re freaking out.

“Aradia, what happened?!?” you cry. You invited Aradia over to watch action movies, but the troll who came over was so different.

“I was captured. Something happened, and now I’m like this,” she says without interest.

“How is this even possible?” Karkat asks.

“ I don’t know.” You aren’t entirely sure what to do in this situation. You decide Sollux and Feferi might have some ideas.

“I’m going out to get Pawlux and Fefurry. Aradia, stay here,” you say, trying to keep the panic in your voice down.

You all but run to Feferi’s hive. You rap against the door. Feferi answers with a smile, but it quickly changes to concern when she sees your expression.

“Nepeta, what’s wrong? Is somefin up with Karkat?” You shake your head.

“No, it’s Aradia! Go to my hive, I’m getting Pawlux.” You run off, Feferi not far behind you until she turns onto your street.

You repeat the same actions with Sollux, But this time the person you get follows you all the way to your hive.

You arrive to Feferi questioning Aradia about what happened.

“Fefurry, have you gathered any infurmation?” You ask breathlessly.

“She has no emotions, but I can’t tell why! Sollux, look at her soul. I can’t do that.” He walks up to Aradia and puts his hand on her chest.

“Anima revelare.” Nothing happens. You may not be a magician, but if everyone else’s reaction is anything to go off of, this is really bad.

“What? But how? How can anyone not have a Soul?!?” Feferi cries.

“I don’t know.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like this. It should be impossible,” Sollux says.

“Who did this to you?” Karkat demands.

“King Strider.” The color drained from your face.

“Oh my. I knew he was ruthless, but this is a new low…” Feferi says, trailing off.

“This can't stand! We have to do something about this!” Karkat snarls.

A few hours later and plenty of yelling later on Karkat’s part, the five of you have a plan for a revolution.

Nepeta: Be Dave==>

You can’t be Dave, he is dead! Yup, nothing to see here. Absolutely no one here to be.

…

...

Just kidding.

You are now Dave, and you just died. Well, an alternate timeline you died, so it’s just another dead Dave.

Great happy thoughts.

You’re in the forests of Derse, and you need somewhere to hide.

You’re supposed to be incredibly dead, so being seen while not dead sounds like a bad idea.

While walking, you happen upon a town. Sneaking around the outskirts, you spy the open-air market, and within it, a clothing shop.

If you can ditch the purple outfit of the royal family, hiding will be so much easier. 

No one was currently looking so you hiss under your breath,

“Ianuae Magicae vestimenta sua.” Some clothing appear in your hands. Just as you were about to leave, you felt a sense of being watched.

You turn around and lock eyes with a sea dweller wearing a multicolor skirt. She raises an eyebrow nods at the clothes. You briefly panic and raise a finger to your mouth. She smiles but then whispers something under her breath and you tense up.

‘Are you okay?’ you let out a breath you didn’t realize you were holding. She formed a temporary mind link.

‘Not really. I’m supposed to be dead.’ She mulls over this, frowning.

‘Meet me at 7825 Lauren Road. I’ve stood in one place too long.’ You nod and swiftly take off.

You weren’t sure what to think about this. You decide to go, but remain cautious.

Dave: Be Feferi==>

You are now Feferi, and you’re getting a few things at the market that are fine enough on their own, but a bit strange together.

You have several bundles of flowers, mostly Chamomile, Lilacs, Marigolds, and Snapdragons. All of them except Lilac had healing abilities, among other things. You also have Hematite and tiger’s eye pendants for protection, healing and courage. The last thing is a single Lapis pendant for whoever became leader to hone their strategizing abilities.

You’re about to leave when you see someone behind the clothing booth. He whispers something and steals some clothes off the rack.

You recognize him in an instant. It’s prince Dave.

He seems to sense you staring at him and he turns around. He looks like a child with caught their hand in the cookie jar. You quirk up an eyebrow and shift your gaze to the clothes and back.

He panics and silently shushes you. You give him a friendly smile before whispering,

“Conjunctio animi,” he tenses when he sees you whispering, but calms when you ask him through the link,

‘Are you okay?’

‘Not really. I’m supposed to be dead.’ You frown at this. So he’s on the run. You decide to help him.

‘Meet me at 7825 Lauren Road. I’ve stood in one place too long.’ It’s true, you’re starting to get some weird looks. He nods and takes off.

You turn to leave the market as well when you hear a paper boy shouting the headline.

“Extra, Extra, Prince Dave murdered  for being a magician!” You stop cold. Dave is ‘dead’, but you just saw him. Something’s fishy here.

Feferi: Go home==>

You decide to ask Dave when he gets to your hive instead of theorizing.

The walk home, as usual, is uneventful. You only see a few people outside, and no one cares enough to talk to you, which is the way you like it.

You unlock the door to your hive and set down your bundles of magical items. Then you wait.

He arrives in a few short minutes and slowly knocks on the door, like he’s unsure of himself.

You open the door and greet him with a smile. “Hello Dave, come in, come in!” You usher him into your home. He cautiously sits down on one of the brightly colored poufs you have decorating the living room.

“So tell me, why is someone of your status stealing clothes? And apparently dead?” You ask, getting to the point.

He tenses. “I… don’t have a good excuse for that. I can’t even use the dog wrote my obituary excuse because that’s not a thing and I don’t have a dog. I could blame my sister’s cat, but-” He sees my expression and trails off. He sighs. “He we go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yasssss! I have been excited to post this chapter! *Throws breadstick into space*


	9. Time Trials

Feferi: Be past Dave ==>

You are now past Dave, and there is a dead you on the floor and men in masks in front of you.

One of them raises a pistol and fires. You try to flashstep to the right, but you don’t go far enough and are hit in the shoulder. You gasp in pain, your hand clapping to your shoulder to try and stop the blood flow.

“Ianuae Magicae ad silvam,” you say, hoping that was the correct spell. Instantly you’re outside the castle. You try and walk forward, but your legs wobble before giving out. Teleporting while injured is almost never a good idea, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Blackness creeps at the edge of your vision and you pass out.

You slowly register you’re on something soft and there is a scent of mint in the air. You go to sit up, but your injured shoulder screams in protest. You let out a hiss of pain.

“Ah, you’re awake,” a girl says. You recognize the voice instantly.

“Rose?” you ask.

“Glad I found you before you bled out.” You feel a hand give your uninjured shoulder a comforting squeeze. “You may be annoying, but you’re mine and I will rip apart anyone who tries to hurt you.”

You hear humming in the background and pouring water.

“Rose, I finished the tea,” someone says. You open your eyes to see a troll carrying a tray with three mugs of tea walk over.

“Thanks, love.” Rose turns to you. “Dave, this is Kanaya, my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you,” you say. Kanaya smiles and hands you a mug.

As it turns out, Kanaya is the one who healed you with her magic, (You were glad to be out for that) and all the royal children just had attempts on their lives. Yours were the only one who came close to succeeding, but still failed due to your time powers. Some guards came upon your would be assassins and your corpse. They assumed the murderers had been victorious.

Past Dave: Be current Feferi==>

You are now Feferi, and Prince Dave just told you a shocking story.

“And after I was healed, I was going to get some supplies for us but when I returned they were gone and the place was in shambles. I didn’t want to stay there. I would be a sitting duck.”

You tell him about the rebellion. You invite him to join and he quickly accepts.

A few days later, the two of you go to Nepeta’s hive for planning.

“All right douche canoes, we need to take down King Strider,” Karkat says. “Dave, what do you know about him?” Dave hunches into himself when everyone's eyes are trained on him .

“Really fast. Uses a sword. You can't sneak up on him.” He keeps his head down even after finishing. Karkat mulls over the information. 

“We need more Intel. Someone has to do reconnaissance. I'll go. Any other volunteers?” Nepeta raises her hand.

“I'll go. I'm purretty sneaky.” Karkat nods in acknowledgement. Plans are made for the mission, and in the end Dave decides to go as well.


	10. Rescued

Feferi: be Eridan==>

You are now Eridan Ampora, and this is a terrible plan.

“John, the odds of this working are slim,” you hiss under your breath. He laughs heartily. 

“Don't worry, I may be a prince, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to break out. I'm just repurposing what I know to break in.” He pulls some of the wind around  the two of you into a tight orb above his hand. He smirks. “Bombs away.” John throws the ball against the shack’s wall in an explosion of blue. A gaping hole is all that was left of the impact point.

John stands up from your hiding place and confidently strides inside. You follow warily. You quickly take in your surroundings with a frown. You don't see Aranea or Latula, let alone Cronus.

John feels along the walls, presumably looking for a seam. His fingers hitch on an edge. He smiles in triumph as he repeats the spell from earlier on a smaller scale. When the dust settles, you see the hallway that was covered up. John cautiously creeps forward. You hear someone cough from inside the room. You then go around him to investigate the sound yourself, hope rising in you.

You don't get a chance to survey your surroundings because you hear Aranea say, 

“Eridan?” You whirl towards the source of her voice. She is painfully thin and ragged. Her eyes are wide with disbelief. 

“Aranea, I'm so glad you're okay. Do you know where Latula and Cronus are?” you say, relief evident in your voice. She nods slowly, her gaze darkening. 

“You won't like it.” She points to the refrigerator sitting on the opposite side of the room. John turns to look at you, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. He walks over to the door the pulls it open and frozen limbs come tumbling out. Cronus’s head rolls to a stop at your feet. You turn to retch, but there is nothing in your stomach to throw up, so you just dry heave. You feel hot, salty tears run down your cheeks.

“I was too late...” you choke out after a silence. “I was too late and now my brother is dead.” You push down your emotions and turn to Aranea, or more specifically, the chain holding her to the wall. You pour all your negative feelings into the spell. In an instant, the chain evaporates. 

“Come on. You have a sister to get back to.” 

On your way out, John lays a hand on your shoulder as gives it a comforting squeeze. 

“I'm really sorry we couldn't save him,” he says. You wipe your tears away with your sleeve. You don't really understand how he could care so much about someone he just met, let alone that person be you.

“Thanks, John.”  _ Not just for this. For everything. _

Eridan: Be future Aranea==>

You are now future Aranea, and you are right outside Vriska’s camp.

“Remember Ara, I saved you, Latula and Cronus are dead, and don’t trust Gamzee at all. Don’t mention John or where we’re going. Got it?” Eridan says. You nod. He told you he was a magician during the trip, but you didn’t care. He saved you.

You take a deep breath and walk into camp as John turns himself and Eridan into the wind. They leave no trace.

“Vriska!” you shout. She rushes out of her tent, accidentally stumbling over the edge. 

“Aranea! How- oh who cares get over here!” She cries. You run over to her and throw your arms around her shoulders. You hear Terezi clamor out of her tent.

“What the?” Terezi says. “Okay, I actually want to hear the how. First up. Who rescued you?” You pull out of Vriska’s death grip so you can properly answer her questions.

“Eridan,” you say simply. Terezi recoils in shock.

“What. Eridan, as in, Eridan the traitor, right?” Vriska clarifies, eyes wide with unsuppressed shock.  You narrow your eyes.

“He saved me, despite having no good reason to do so. He doesn't seem like a traitor to me.” Vriska frowns but stays silent.

“What about Latula? Cronus?” Terezi drawls. You shake your head sadly. Latula was one of your good friends, so this was especially difficult.

“They were long since dead when Eridan arrived.” Terezi bites her knuckle to try and keep the tears from falling. It doesn't really work. In an instant Vriska is by her side. She shooshes Terezi softly and gently paps her face.

Even among death, there is still a silver lining. 


	11. Making Contact

Aranea: Be Eridan==>

You are now Eridan, and there are so many ways this could go wrong. You've caught wind of a rebellion against the throne, and a few people involved. You've memorized some important code phrases, and you have a target. John was in a disguise, so he wouldn't stand out. But the best plans are the most likely to unravel. 

You see the girl. Troll, straight horns, seadweller. You got this.

You walk over to her side and strike up a conversation. She happily obliges, talking animatedly. You learn her name is Feferi. Then you drop the code phrase. 

“Have you ever read the book Seeds Of Truth?” A fake book that sounds perfectly real. She raises an eyebrow.

“No, I don't think I have. If you don't mind, could you bring it by my hive later?” Dang, she's one heck of an actress. You nod.

“Mind if I bring a friend? He likes it as well.” She smiles and nods.

“Then I guess I'll see you later.” She hands you a piece of paper with a quickly scrawled address on it and sashas away. You walk over to John.

“Okay-” you hand him the slip- “We have a location. We need to kill some time before going there so we don't look too connected. And keep your hood up.” John puts his hands down and grins sheepishly.

“Sorry, sorry. I don't normally wear hoods. It feels strange.” He shifts uncomfortably. You wave it off.

“It's fine. Point is, just don't get caught in the next hour.” 

Eridan: Be John==>

Your name is John and you had never been in a market without royal guards, so you were loving the taste of freedom. You happy browse different booths and admire the different wares. You had struck up a friendly conversation with the shopkeeper named Shrefu. Her booth sold all kinds of different pendants. She was pointing out some of the ones she was the most proud of.

“So where are you from?” she purred. “Someone so pretty can't possibly be a local.” 

“Uh...” You freeze up. Okay, wow. This conversation has taken an unpleasant turn. You weren't expecting anyone to start hitting on you. “Prospit..?”

“What is someone so classy doing around these parts?” There's an unsatisfiable  hunger in her eyes. You start edging towards the next booth. “Oh, don't leave so soon. Why don't you come by my hive later, hmm?” She wraps her arm around your waist. Nope, nope, nope. Not comfortable with that in the slightest. 

“Hey! Get your filthy hands off of him!” You turn to see a seething Eridan storming towards you. “Keep your paws off of my moirail!” You feel your entire face go red. Moirail. He said moirail in relation to you, even if it just was to keep Shrefu off of you.

Her expression falters. She manages to keep smiling, but now it's strained. “Sorry! Sorry, I’ll stop,” she says hastily, scrambling to avoid Eridan’s wrath. Angry seadwellers were never a good thing. 

“Don't try it again, mustard blood,” he hisses. Shrefu turns away from the two of you and pretends to focus on her merchandise. “Come on, we need to go anyways. Still have the address?” You nod in confirmation. You were still blushing. Eridan motions for you to take the lead. 

You pay close attention to the signs marking the roads, but you've never been to Derse, and it shows. The streets aren't as well organized.

“I think we're lost.” You hand Eridan the paper. He looks it over and immediately turns to the right.

“This way.” You were on your way to join a revolution. You don't think that you've ever done anything so reckless. 

It doesn't take long to reach your destination. The troll’s hive doesn't stand out amongst all the ornately decorated ones, as hers was a bit more modest.

Eridan rings the doorbell. The same troll from earlier opens the door and cheerily says,

“Hello, come fin, come fin!” She ushers the two of you inside and into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking forever to update! Writer's block has been a beast!


	12. Show me your magic

John: be Feferi==>

You are now Feferi, and the trolls who had approached you earlier were at the door to your hive. You happily invite them in and have them take a seat.

“Alright, why don't we introduce ourselves? I am Feferi Peixes,” you say with a smile. The one with the purple cape mutters,

“Eridan Ampora.” The other shifts uncomfortably. He whispers his name under his breath, but you don't catch it. You ask him to speak up just a little.

“John Egbert.” Your eyes widen in surprise.

“Wait, John Egbert as in prince of Prospit?” He nods, keeping his gaze at his feet. You smile warmly.

“Never thought we'd get a prince in the revolution,” you say. “Can you both demonstrate you magic? Need to verify you.” They both nod. John raises his arms, causing the air to spin around. Despite the nature of his magic, he kept everything from falling off your walls. You nod. His magic could be destructive or well controlled. He would definitely be an asset. 

“Purpura lucem,” Eridan says quietly, causing a ball of purple light to appear. Hmm. When a magician is asked by another magician to demonstrate their magic, it is typical to demonstrate their center unless someone could get hurt or they don't know what it is. This could go in either direction. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know this chapter is short and terrible. I know what I want to happen next, but I'm having a hard time finding the right words. I am sorry to say, A Soul in the Dark is going on temporary hiatus. Under no circumstances will I be abandoning this fic, I just need to refocus my energy on something that is less (for lack of better terms) difficult. This hiatus should last no longer than a month. It may be more, it may be less. Once again I am sorry for going on hiatus. Thank you for reading A Soul in the Dark. Until next time, my friends.


	13. Dubious Morality

Feferi: Be John Egbert==>

You are now John Egbert, and Feferi is currently giving you and Eridan an assignment. 

“I need you to deliver this letter,” she says. “The address is on the back.” You ask what it's for. Feferi smiles wistfully. “Need the help of an old friend.” You accept the mission and take the note. 

At the time, you weren't sure why delivering a letter required both of you, but Feferi insisted, so you pushed the thought to the back of your mind.

The directions lend you through some shady parts of Derse, but for the most part,  it was fine. At least, until the very end. 

The two of you turned into an alley. This was where the note said to wait, so you did. After about an hour of absently staring off into space, you found yourself being held at trident-point.

“What the shell are the tuna you doing here? This ain't no place for your kind,” a troll girl with long braids snarled. Your eyebrows crinkle in confusion.

“My kind? Wha-”

“Non-magics! What else could I be talking about?” she says with a glare. “You're obviously a prince and I've dealt with  _ him _ in the past.” She brings her free hand up to her mouth and lets out a shrill whistle. You hear the sound of swishing fabric and swift steps behind you.

“Look, Meenah, I-” Eridan’s plee is cut short by the sword jammed through his chest. His attacker removes their weapon and Eridan slumps to the ground, dead. 

“Oh my god. . .” you say, turning towards the impassive Meenah. “You just told them to killed him!” She shrugs noncommittally. You whirl around to Eridan’s killer. “Why the hell did you do that?!” They pull a scarf hanging around their neck over their mouth. They say nothing and run off.

“If you care so much, what you gonna do about it?” she drawls. You clench your fists, trying to keep your emotions in check. It doesn't work. The fact that someone could kill another with so little remorse, even if there was no blood on their hands directly, infuriates you. Wind whips around, but leaves the two of you untouched, as if you were in the center of a storm. 

“Well how about that. Prince was a magician after all.” Meenah shrugs. “Didn't sea that coming.” You gather up a ball of wind and throw it as hard as you can, but Meenah side-steps the shot and is left untouched.

“I haddock a good reason for krilling hi-”

“What ‘good reason’ could possibly be good enough to justify killing someone in cold blood!?” you cry, hot tears pricking in the corners of your eyes. You raise your arms to fire another shot. “I can't think of anythi-”

“He was a hunter.” Just like that, everything stops. The wind disappears in an instant, and the attack you had been prepping falls flat. You don't want to believe her. You knew Eridan didn't mention a few things when telling you what happened before you met him, but never in your wildest dreams did you imagine it was that bad.

And then Meenah whistles again.

A bag slams into the side of your head, causing a pale green powder to disperse into the air. Your limbs feel like jelly. You collapse to the ground. You try to stand, to use your magic, anything, to no avail.

Meenah walks over and grabs the letter that you dropped. She quickly scans through the contents.

“When you see Feferi next, tell her shell no. I don't have the supplies or the manpower to get involved in a war without the entire gang falling apart.” She turns to leave, but stops.

“The dust will wear off in an hour. You're on my territory, so no one will hurt you in the meantime.” She pauses before continuing. “It's made from doom magic, time, and just a bit of void. But you didn't hear that from me.

“Don't try and find my base. That's why I dusted you in the first place.” And she was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnnd we're back! Yessssssss! If you have ideas for the plot, you are welcome to drop them in the comments!


End file.
